From: Michael Straight <straight@email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Beast with Three Horns / Pike as Father of Blood
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 09:13:07 -0500 (EST)

On Thu, 3 Jan 2002, maa32 wrote:

> Ok, so someone calling for Babbie was really calling for Horn.  We have often 
> noted that there is a big change between the narrator in On Blue's Waters when 
> he is very depressed and at the beginning of In Green's Jungles.  I believe 
> that this is the point that some of Horn's spirit flees into Babbie (across a 
> great distance, just as it fled into Silk from a great distance).

Problems with this theory:

1.  Horn is able to leave his body for Silk's because the Neighbors
specifically offer him that opportunity (and maybe because he's wearing a
magic ring).  And not just because the Neighbor thinks it would be fun for
Horn's spirit to be able to flit around, but for the purpose of healing
Silk.  Why should Horn's spirit be moved to Babbie?  Why would Horn
consent?

2.  If Horn's spirit has moved to Babbie, why does the Narrator experience
and write about being called?  That would be the experience of the spirit
that is no long in the Narrator.  I think something else is going on
there.  The Narrator is having an encounter with someone who is to the
Narrator as the Narrator is to Babbie (the Outsider?).  This encounter
heals the Narrator somewhat, bringing Silk's spirit further forward.

3.  Babbie doesn't have a human-looking spirit because of Horn.  As
Seawrack notes, Babbie is already a person when Horn and Seawrack are
traveling with him.  It's one of those things Horn refuses to see, as he
refuses to see how much Sinew really loves him.  Babbie has a
human-looking spirit for the same reason that Oreb and the inhumi have
human-looking spirits.  (Note also that Babbie becomes more of a person as
he spends time with people and Seawrack predicts he will revert to being a
mere beast if Horn leaves him in the jungle -- note parallels with
inhumi).

-Rostrum